Alder Buckthorn, Rhamnus alnifolia

About Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia) 1 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Rhamnus alnifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common names alderleaf buckthorn, or alder buckthorn. It is native to North America, where it is known mainly from the southern half of Canada and the northern half of the United States and California. It can be found in forested habitat. Rhamnus alnifolia is a spreading shrub approaching two meters in maximum height, its thin branches bearing deciduous leaves. The thin, deeply veined leaves have oval blades up to 10 centimeters long, pointed at the tip and lightly toothed along the edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or umbel of up to three flowers occurring in leaf axils. The tiny flowers are just a few millimeters wide and lack petals. Female flowers drupes just under a centimeter wide, each containing three seeds. The drupes darken to black when ripe. Rhamnus alnifolia is a spreading shrub approaching two meters in maximum height, its thin branches bearing deciduous leaves. The thin, deeply veined leaves have oval blades up to 10 centimeters long, pointed at the tip and lightly toothed along the edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or umbel of up to three flowers occurring in leaf axils. The tiny flowers are just a few millimeters wide and lack petals. Female flowers drupes just under a centimeter wide, each containing three seeds. The drupes darken to black when ripe.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

2 - 6.6 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

Green, White

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 13 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Wandering Tiger Moth Spilosoma vestalisSpilosoma vestalis

Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitataTriphosa haesitata

Common Eupithacia Eupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulata

Landscaping Information

Nurseries

Carried by 1

Soil Description

Prefers loamy or clay soils. Grows poorly in sandy soils.

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens

Natural Setting

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 24.9" - 94.7", Summer Precipitation: 1.13" - 2.14", Coldest Month: 28.1" - 41.6", Hottest Month: 55.2" - 65.5", Humidity: 0.59" - 18.75", Elevation: 4086" - 6698"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Alder-leaved Coffeeberry, Alderleaf Buckthorn, Alderleaf Coffeeberry

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Alder Buckthorn

Rhamnus alnifolia

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Alder BuckthornRhamnus alnifolia

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Alder Buckthorn

Rhamnus alnifolia